Maharashtra Wins Best State in Sixth National Water Awards 2024

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil announced the Sixth National Water Awards (NWA) 2024 on November 11, 2025, at Shram Shakti Bhavan, New Delhi. Maharashtra received the Best State Award, followed by Gujarat and Haryana.

Union Minister for Jal Shakti Shri C.R. Patil announced the Sixth National Water Awards (NWA) 2024 on November 11, 2025, at Shram Shakti Bhavan, New Delhi.

Maharashtra received the Best State Award, followed by Gujarat and Haryana. Recognizing excellence in water conservation, a total of 46 winners were selected across 10 categories.

About the National Water Award

President Smt. Droupadi Murmu will present the Sixth National Water Awards 2024 on November 18, 2025, at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi.

Established by the Department of Water Resources, River Development, and Ganga Rejuvenation (DoWR, RD & GR) under the Ministry of Jal Shakti, these prestigious awards are given for outstanding contributions to water conservation, management, and sustainable practices.

Launched in 2018, the National Water Awards aim to encourage individuals, organizations, and institutions to adopt innovative and effective water management practices and contribute to building a "Water-Rich India."

For the sixth edition (2024), 751 applications were submitted through the National Awards Portal of the Ministry of Home Affairs. After evaluation and field verification by the Central Water Commission (CWC) and Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), 46 winners, including joint winners, were selected.

List of Winners

1. Best State – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana

2. Best District

Eastern Zone - Rajnandgaon, Chhattisgarh (First)

Western Zone - Khargone, Madhya Pradesh (First)

Southern Zone - Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu (First)

Northern Zone - Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh (First)

North Eastern Zone - Sipahijala, Tripura (First)

3. Best Urban Local Body (ULB) - Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra

4. Best Institution (other than school/college)

Inside Campus Category - Indian Institute of Technology Department, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, and ICAR-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Goa (Joint First).

Outside Campus Category - (Joint) Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana, and Regional Chief Conservator of Forests, Berhampur Circle, Odisha.

5. Best Water Users Association (WUA) - Vettaikaranpudur Canal, Odayakulam Village, WUA, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

6. Best Civil Society - Banaskantha District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited, Gujarat

7. Best Village Panchayat - (Joint) Dubbiganipalli, Annamayya, Andhra Pradesh, and Payam, Kannur, Kerala.

8. Best School or College - (Joint) Krishna Public School, Raipur, Chhattisgarh, and Army Public School, Kolkata, West Bengal.

9. Best Industry - Apollo Tyres Limited, Kanchipuram, Tamil Nadu

10. Best Individual for Excellence in Water Sector

Eastern Region - Shri Kishor Jaiswal/Bihar (First)

Western Region - Shri Bajrang Lal Jaithu/Rajasthan (First)

Northern Region - Shri Mohan Chandra Kandpal/Uttarakhand (First)

Southern Region - Shri Podili Rajasekhar Raju/Andhra Pradesh (First)